You don't have to read Huckleberry Finn to love this story as it is on its own. This book is seriously depressing and harrowing as it is humorous, and I recommend it so much to every human on Earth. Just one simple, relatively easy-to-read and nicely paced book about the events before the Civil War, about enslaved Black people, men and women alike, could make someone so deeply empathetic. I don't know, at least I'd hope so. Books like these aren't difficult to come by, but easy for most of the population (especially the ashy part) to look over. I can't put this into words and I won't, but.. it's so ridiculous to me that people think white folks experience racism or any systemic degradation. This isn't fantasy; it happened. There is no exaggeration to the lengths that enslavers and the complicit went to make Black enslaved people's lives hell. This is still real, too. As a nonblack nonwhite individual I'm very grateful to be able to learn and also nod along.

Also, superb writing style.